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 By Amir Havasi Tehran (AFP) June 17, 2019
Iran said Monday it will surpass from June 27 a uranium stockpile limit set under the nuclear deal with world powers that the US abandoned last year, worrying EU powers who urged Tehran against ultimatums. French President Emmanuel Macron encouraged Iran to be "patient and responsible" at a time of growing tension as Washington blames Tehran for attacks on tankers in the Gulf of Oman. "Today the countdown to pass the 300 kilograms reserve of enriched uranium has started and in 10 days time... we will pass this limit," Iran's atomic energy organisation spokesman Behrouz Kamalvandi told a new conference broadcast live on state television. The move "will be reversed once other parties live up to their commitments," he added, speaking from the Arak nuclear plant southwest of Tehran. - 'Dissuade Iran' - Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the international community to immediately hit Iran with "snapback sanctions" should it violate the deal by surpassing the uranium stockpile limit set in the deal. On May 8, President Hassan Rouhani said Iran would stop observing restrictions on its stocks of enriched uranium and heavy water agreed under the 2015 nuclear deal. Rouhani said the move was in retaliation for the unilateral US withdrawal from the accord last year, which saw Washington impose tough economic sanctions on Tehran. Tensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated ever since, with the United States bolstering its military presence in the region and blacklisting Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation. The US has also blamed Iran for last week's attacks on two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, a charge Tehran has denied as "baseless". Iran has threatened to go even further in scaling down nuclear commitments by July 8 unless remaining partners to the deal -- Britain, China, France, Germany and Russia -- help it circumvent US sanctions and especially enable it to sell its oil. "The current situation is sensitive" and there is still time for the deal's partners to save this agreement, Rouhani told the French ambassador to Tehran Philippe Thiebaud on Monday. Speaking in Paris, Macron said he regretted Tehran's latest announcements. "We strongly encourage Iran to behave in a way that is patient and responsible," he said. Any kind of escalation "is damaging to the interests of the Iranians themselves and also to the international community", he added. "So we will do everything with our partners to dissuade Iran from this (surpassing the limit)," he said. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas rejected the Iranian ultimatum and insisted Tehran stick to its commitments under the deal. A spokesman for the British government echoed the call, saying the E3 -- the European signatories to the deal -- has "consistently made clear that there can be no reduction in compliance". - 'Save the deal' - Under the agreement, Iran pledged to reduce its nuclear capacities for several years and allow international inspectors inside the country to monitor its activities in return for relief from international sanctions. The deal set a limit on the number of uranium-enriching centrifuges, and restricted its right to enrich uranium to no higher than 3.67 percent, well below weapons-grade levels of around 90 percent. It also called on Iran to export enriched uranium and heavy water to ensure the country's reserves would stay within the production ceiling set by the agreement, yet recent US restrictions have made such exports virtually impossible. According to Rouhani, the ultimatum he issued last month was intended to "save the (deal), not destroy it". The three European parties to the accord created a trade mechanism meant to bypass US sanctions, but their attempt was dismissed by Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as a "bitter joke". The spokesman for Iran's atomic energy organisation warned further steps could be taken if world powers do not step up to help the country. "They range from going to 3.68 percent to any other percent according to the country's needs," said Kamalvandi. Authorities were still debating whether to "redesign or revive" the Arak reactor, he added. Uranium enriched to much higher levels than Iran's current stocks can be used as the fissile core of a nuclear weapon, while heavy water is a source of plutonium, which can be used as an alternative way to produce a warhead.
Germany, UK warn Iran over uranium plans as EU urges caution Iran set a 10-day countdown on Monday to exceed the 300-kilogram limit set on its enriched uranium stocks, dealing another blow to the crumbling nuclear accord signed by Tehran and six international powers. The EU has battled to save the agreement since US President Donald Trump withdrew and reimposed sanctions, but Iran said it would step back from exceeding the 300-kg limit on June 27 only if "other parties live up to their commitments". The move comes as Iran tries to step up pressure on the deal's other signatories -- Germany, France, Britain, China and Russia -- to help it sidestep US sanctions and in particular enable it to sell oil. German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas rejected the Iranian ultimatum and insisted Tehran must stick to its commitments under the deal. "We have already said in the past that we will not accept less for less. It is up to Iran to stick to its obligations," Maas said after talks with EU foreign ministers in Luxembourg. "We will certainly not accept a unilateral reduction of obligations." A spokesman for the British government echoed the call, saying the E3 -- the European signatories to the deal -- has "consistently made clear that there can be no reduction in compliance". "For now Iran remains within its nuclear commitments. We are coordinating with E3 partners on next steps," the spokesman added. The European Union's diplomatic chief Federica Mogherini said the bloc would not act on the basis of Iranian rhetoric but wait for reports by the UN's nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "Our assessment on the implementation of the nuclear deal has never been, is not and will never be based on statements, but on the evaluation that the IAEA makes, the reports that the IAEA produces and that can be done at any time," Mogherini said after the talks. "Announcements are relevant elements of political dialectics but our assessment on the implementation of the agreement is based on the factual, technically sound assessment and evaluation that the IAEA makes in its reports." On May 8, President Hassan Rouhani said Iran would stop observing restrictions on its stocks of enriched uranium and heavy water agreed under the 2015 nuclear deal. Rouhani said the move was in retaliation for the unilateral US withdrawal from the accord a year earlier, which saw Washington impose tough economic sanctions on Tehran. Tensions between Tehran and Washington have escalated ever since, with the United States bolstering its military presence in the region and blacklisting Iran's Revolutionary Guards as a terrorist organisation.
Iran attacks leave Trump and aides divided, with no clear strategy Washington (AFP) June 14, 2019 To retaliate or show restraint? Toughen sanctions or negotiate? The US administration, divided between hard-line hawks and a Donald Trump who fears plunging the country into another "endless" war, is struggling to define its strategy against Iran - as demonstrated by its uncertain response to recent developments in the Gulf of Oman. Here is what we know about the US response and administration thinking. - How has the US reacted to the attacks? - It took only hours for Washington to directl ... read more
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